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In an early Christmas present for fans, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn’t terrible. It’s like Batman: Arkham Asylum all over again.

Which is to say this is an unexpected victory. But it’s a relief, as well; Tolkien’s work is vast enough to support many different kinds of game, and most have been hamstrung having to follow plots of the films. With Warner Bros. now willing to explore more unusual territory, the horizon is suddenly much broader.

What’s fascinating is that they merged the Batman: Asylum series and Assassin’s Creed with Lord of the Rings in this instance. If we were to slam other franchises together, what’d be the best choice?

1. Lord of the Rings meets Total War

The depth of mods turning Total War’s races into those from The Lord of the Rings suggests that there’s an appetite for it. If this was to become a full game, it’d be a great fit for both franchises.

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With the strategy series starting to repeat itself, it could do with the fresh lick of paint that whole new races and distinct units/gameplay they would offer.

Telltale are a phenomenally talented group of storytellers, as evidenced by their treatment of The Walking Dead and Fables. So much so that they’ve been given another fantasy epic, Game of Thrones.

I’d like to see what they could do if handed the keys to a more cheery fantasy, though. Having a character travel the lands of Middle-earth on an adventure would tap into something most licensed games can’t; a sense of discovery.

3. Lord of the Rings takes on Battlefront

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This has already been attempted in the form of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, but…well, let’s leave it at that.

However, I do feel the bottom of the barrel hasn’t been scraped yet. If you were to try and make a multiplayer arena fighter where you can pull from any race or kingdom from Middle-earth, I can see it working. Add in a full upgrade tree or different classes and it’d be like Battlefield with swords and magic.

4. Lord of the Rings crossed with Fable Legends

The whole dungeon raid idea is a popular one at the moment, with more than a few projects taking a bite from that concept. So what’s one more?

Having a game from the perspective of the orcs would be my objective here. You could be a dark lord setting up their kingdom and challenging rival villains for dominance. It’d be nice to flip the tables and play as the bad guys for once.

As I mentioned in my other blog, this absolutely needs to happen. An open-world Middle-earth game with its own story, lesser known lore and customisable characters? This would be too awesome not to do. Why hasn’t it happened yet?